1. Sleep deprivation, or sleep debt, throws off the hormones that regulate appetite by stimulating ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and suppressing leptin, the satiety hormone. This makes you hungry.

Additionally, when your brain is tired from lack of sleep, it becomes desperate for energy, which it typically gets in the form of glucose. Because glucose is most readily available from sugar and carbohydrates, you begin to crave those things.

In other words, your body is unable to use all that junk food you’ve just given it, so you’re still hungry. Get trapped in this cycle for too long and your body will lose its ability to regulate blood sugar and fat.

One study, in fact, showed that reducing sleep by three hours per night can completely negate the effects of restricting calories to as few as 600 (Chaput, 2012).

Proper sleep is the foundation of any effective weight loss or weight management plan. Sleeping less than seven or more than nine hours per night will counteract your weight loss efforts. So stay in the zone!

Sleep Improvement Tip: Develop a Nighttime Routine

There’s nothing worse than being exhausted but lying in bed wide awake because you can’t get the wheels in your brain to stop turning. The brain has to be given an opportunity to shift into a lower gear.

And since you’re now going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (remember episode 2!), falling asleep easily and on time is essential for a good night’s rest.

Don’t expect your nighttime routine to work perfectly on day one. Experiment with different activities and find what works for you. It’s just one more ingredient to help you create the best sleep of your life.

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about how lack of sleep and poor sleep quality can result in metabolic dysregulation and even metabolic disease. Then the sleep tips continue.